


The World Was Too Cruel For Us

by Cruel_Irony



Series: Tumblr Promts [5]
Category: Hollyoaks
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Prompt Fill, Swearing, because we all know Harry swears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 21:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17211518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cruel_Irony/pseuds/Cruel_Irony
Summary: For the Tumblr prompt, No. 77 "The world was too cruel for us". Trust me, it's not as angsty and sad as the title and prompt line make it out to be."We never would've worked, the world was too cruel for us.""But we love each other, we can overcome anything, so long as we are together."





	The World Was Too Cruel For Us

Life for the Nightingale-Thompson household was remarkably uneventful. After the fiasco that was Harry’s marriage to Ste and the discovery of a long lost son, not to mention finally getting rid of Mac once and for all, it was a blessed relief to have a moment’s peace. Harry and James went on their first proper date to a restaurant far out of town where no one from the village could interrupt, and to the opera afterwards (a pleasant surprise from Harry that earned him a blushing smile and a kiss from his boyfriend). Harry proved his worth to Grace and got a job bartending at the Loft, while James got a promotion at work. Their life descended into mundane normalcy, a simple routine that withstood the gossip, cat-fights and backstabbing that came part and parcel with living in Hollyoaks Village.

“This is the life!” Says James, relaxing into the sofa, drink in hand, as Harry shifts over to lean against him. Life truly I looking up for him. He has the love of his life and his son, with whom he has a blossoming relationship, under one roof; his mother is no longer torn between himself and his father and has found her own place and comfortably dating some wealthy banker or other. No one is trying to blackmail him, frame him for murder, or ruin his life. He has even reached a tentative agreement with Tony about not arguing in front of Harry. Life is good, very good.

From beside him, Harry hums in agreement, leaning up to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw. He cuddles in closer, but returns to watching the telly. Some made for TV movie is playing and despite the farfetched plot and sketchy acting Harry is engrossed. His eyes taking in the dramatic scenes unfold.

“What have I missed?” James asks, not expecting anything intellectually stimulating. In his opinion, films like these are complete trash and, along with soap operas and reality TV, should never be made or seen, and all evidence erased from history. But… Harry finds them amusing, so he’ll leave them be for now.

“Well, the guy’s got a terminal illness on top of everything else in his life, and she’s being a brat. How hard can it be to choose between two guys? There must be one she likes more than the other!” Harry doesn’t look away from the screen, but his eyes have glazed over as he thinks deeply. Not too long ago he was struggling to choose between two men. But, then again, upon reflection, his love for James had been far greater than his care for Ste. If only this teenage girl could get her head out of the sand long enough to realise that herself.

James can guess what Harry is thinking about, but he doesn’t hold his previous doubts and delays against him. He can’t, not when he loves him so much. “So, is this the great, dramatic climax?”

“Oh, yeah. Can you guess what sentimental, over-dramatic bullshit lines they’ll come up with?”

James scoffs and grins, eager to play along. “Something about love beating an incurable illness and facing the odds together. He’s not going to die, that’s too sad.”

Harry laughs. “Nah, too easy. ‘Goodbye cruel world!’ or something alone those lines. Think Romeo and Juliet or Greek tragedy style over the top deaths. Because he is going to die. Trust me.”

They turn their attention to the screen together, as the female lead rushes to the hospital, fighting past her overbearing father to be with her ‘true love’. She looks so pained and fraught with sadness that her one beautiful features are twisted and covered with tears and snot. As she runs through the corridors, James is appalled at her manners in treating the hospital staff - how has she not been thrown out already? But while James’ face shows each and every emotion that flickers across his face, Harry, though watching intently, is unaffected by the displays of affection and rudeness.

“This isn’t a rerun, is it?” James asks with a sly smile; trust Harry to watch the same movie twice just to trick James into losing.

Harry replies, “It’s always a rerun, James.”

On screen, the hospitalised teenage heart throb clutches the woman’s hand and pleads with her to let him go. In James’ opinion, he is attached to too many wires and tubes to be realistic. This really is a terrible film. “We never would have worked, Julie,” says the man, “the world was too cruel for us.” James rolls his eyes, what a tacky line. “But,” the heroine, if she could be called that, leans impossibly closer to him, “we love each other. We can overcome everything, so long as we are together.”

“‘The world was too cruel for us’ - what a joke! That’s just terrible.” Cries Harry.

“I guess we both won,” James interrupts the woman’s epic speech by muting the telly. “What will the prize be?”

Harry finally looks away from the TV, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “It’ll have to be something we both enjoy. I have a few ideas.” He shifts to straddle James’ legs, not wasting any time making it clear what he is thinking.

“I like where this is going.”

“I know you do.”


End file.
